Patience
by buttercup32409
Summary: It's Will's birthday and he can't wait to find out what Sonny is giving him. But he learns that sometimes patience can be a good thing.


Sonny quietly entered the bedroom he shared with Will. Leaning against the doorframe, he stared in admiration at Will's tight ass as the blondwas bent over, digging through boxes at the back of their walk-in closet.

"What are you doing?" Sonny asked in amusement, causing Will to startle and jump nearly a foot in the air.

"Shit, you scared me!" Will hissed as he whirled around and glared in annoyance. "I was just straightening up the closet if you must know. And why are you home so early? The coffee house doesn't close for another two hours."

"Chad said he'd close for me," Sonny answered. "And I don't believe for a minute that you were straightening up our closet. You haven't cleaned anything in this house since the day we moved in." Grinning, he closed the gap between them and pulled Will into his embrace. "Admit it, Horton, you were snooping for your birthday present. You're worse than Ari and Jack! Can't you wait a few more hours until the party?"

Will continued to glare at his boyfriend. "I don't know what you're talking about. I ___was_ trying to straighten up the mess at the back of the closet."

Just then a four-year-old whirlwind came rushing into their bedroom from the hall. "I didn't find anything, Daddy. Papa hid it good!"

Sonny couldn't hold in his laughter at the sight of Will's blush.

"And just what did I hide, Jack?" Sonny asked his son. "Were you looking for something for Daddy?"

"His birfday present!" the boy practically squealed.

Will grinned sheepishly at Sonny. "Well, I figured two pairs of eyes would be better than one!"

"Daddy, it wasn't in my room!" Ari called, just before she joined them. "I looked everywhere, and there's nothing that even ___looks_ like a birthday present. Can I have my five bucks anyway?"

Sonny just stared at Will in startled amusement. "It looks like you had ___three_ pairs of eyes looking, Will! You bribed our daughter to snoop? I'm surprised at you!"

Will shrugged his shoulders, then reached into his wallet, pulling out two fives and handing one to each of his children. "Now scat, you two. You've gotten me into enough trouble!"

All of them laughed as the kids went running down the hall toward their bedrooms to put their money away.

Will snuggled his way back into Sonny's arms. "So, it's my birthday. Why don't you go ahead and give me my present? I mean, what difference is a couple of hours going to make? And if we get it over with now, we won't have to interrupt our fun at the party."

"Oh no you don't!" Sonny laughed. "I'm not falling for it. You can wait. Besides, it's not even here in the house. Someone else has it. You'll get it at the party and not a moment sooner. Now, do you think we can go get ready?"

Will was still bursting with curiosity, but he could see his pleas would get him nowhere. Sighing in defeat, he grabbed a towel from the linen closet and headed for the bathroom to take his shower.

Chez Rouge was packed. Maggie had closed the entire restaurant for the private party, and it seemed to Will and Sonny that everyone they'd ever known had attended. Will smiled brightly when he saw Marlena approach.

"Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!" she exclaimed as she hugged him tightly. "So how does it feel to be a year older."

"No different," he chuckled. "Why? Should it?"

Marlena noticed that Will kept looking at her hands and trying to peer into her handbag. Finally she couldn't stand it any longer. "Will, what are you doing?" she asked.

Sonny snorted. "Pay no attention to him, Dr. Evans. I told him before we left home that someone else has his birthday present, so he keeps trying to look into purses, pockets, any conceivable hiding place. I keep expecting him to turn into Mr. Brady and start frisking our guests!"

Marlena roared with laughter. "Well I'm sorry, sweetie, but I don't have it, nor do I have any clue what it might be. I guess you'll just have to wait."

Will grunted in frustration and flopped into a nearby chair, causing his boyfriend and grandmother to share a smile. They both loved Will dearly, and when he was in this kind of mood, he was simply adorable.

One by one the guests came by to greet the birthday boy, and with each one, Will would try his best to see if they had Sonny's gift to him. He was disappointed time and time again. He even had one or two convinced he had turned into a kleptomaniac and was trying to pick their pockets. Sonny couldn't stop laughing, which only served to anger Will even more.

Finally, just before ten, Justin walked up to the couple.

"Sonny! I have to say, Son, you've done a terrific job. This was a great party and I have enjoyed myself. I think your mother did too, if the amount of champagne she drank is any indication."

"Yeah, she looked happy to me a little while ago too," Will agreed with a laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen her as relaxed as she is tonight."

"Relaxed, drunk, it's all the same," Justin laughed. "Well, if you don't need me for anything, I think we're going to head out."

Will shook his hand, then walked over to tell Adrienne goodnight. He was a little disappointed that he still hadn't gotten his gift, but he decided not to be a brat about it. After all, he was a grown man. He had a loving partner, two beautiful children, both he and Sonny had great jobs, and they had a beautiful home. He couldn't ask for anything else.

As soon as he walked away, Sonny turned to his father. "Did you bring it?"

"Yep, right here," Justin confirmed. He reached into his pants pocket and handed the item to Sonny, who placed it carefully in his jacket.

"Good luck, Son, although I really don't think you need it."

"Thanks, Dad."

Just as Will was about to kiss Adrienne on the cheek and tell her goodnight, he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. Looking around, Sonny greeted him with a soft smile.

"Come with me, Will."

Will followed him to the center of the room where Sonny stopped and reached into his jacket pocket. He retrieved a small velvet box, then took a deep breath to settle his nerves.

"Will, Baby, we have been together for eight years. In that time it hasn't always been smooth sailing for us, but we've always managed to work through our problems. We've been there for one another through an unplanned pregnancy, which gave us the most beautiful little girl any parent could ask for; a surrogacy that, thanks to Jemma, resulted in one of the cutest little boys ever born; difficult parents; bigots who wanted to harm us and keep us apart; and college finals that threatened to drive us insane. But we remained a united front and we got through it all and ended up stronger because of it."

He opened the box to reveal a simple but elegant man's engagement ring. Dropping to one knee, he looked up into the blue eyes he loved so much and smiled tenderly when he saw Will's face covered with tear tracks, and noticed he was having difficulty catching his breath and slowing his racing heart.

"William Horton, before you faint, I need to know something. Will you make me the happiest man alive and agree to marry me? We kinda need to make it official since we have two children now, don't you think?"

Will laughed through his tears, and was joined by Sonny and most of their guests. Nodding his head, he answered in a voice only slightly above a whisper.

"Yes, Sonny. Yes!"


End file.
